Introductions
How to say “where are you from” in Chinese
“你是哪里人？” (nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?) asks where someone is from, a city or a country. To ask the country, say “你是哪国人？” (nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?). The answer is “我是...人” (wǒ shì ... rén): “我是美国人” (I'm American).
In Chinese
你是哪里人？
nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?
Where are you from?
Other ways to say “where are you from”
-
你是哪国人？
nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
What nationality are you?
Asks about the country.
-
你从哪儿来？
nǐ cóng nǎr lái?
Where do you come from?
Also very natural.
-
你住在哪里？
nǐ zhù zài nǎlǐ?
Where do you live?
Ask about where someone lives now.
-
我是...人
wǒ shì ... rén
I'm from...
The pattern for the answer.
Example sentences
-
你是哪里人？— 我是上海人。
nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén? — wǒ shì shànghǎi rén.
Where are you from? — I'm from Shanghai.
-
你是哪国人？— 我是英国人。
nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? — wǒ shì yīngguó rén.
What nationality are you? — I'm British.
-
我是美国人，现在住在北京。
wǒ shì měiguó rén, xiànzài zhù zài běijīng.
I'm American, and I now live in Beijing.
How to reply
我是...人
wǒ shì ... rén
I'm from...
Good to know
- “人” means person, so “我是中国人” (I'm Chinese) and “我是法国人” (I'm French) use the same pattern with the country's name.
- Chinese people often answer with their city or province first, because “哪里人” asks about the hometown.
Questions about “where are you from” in Chinese
How do you say “where are you from” in Chinese?
“where are you from” in Chinese is “你是哪里人？” (Where are you from?). It is written in pinyin as nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?. You can also say “你是哪国人？”, “你从哪儿来？”, “你住在哪里？”.
How do you pronounce “你是哪里人？” in Chinese?
“你是哪里人？” is pronounced nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén?. Tap the speaker on this page to hear it.
What are other ways to say “where are you from” in Chinese?
“你是哪国人？” (What nationality are you?): asks about the country. “你从哪儿来？” (Where do you come from?): also very natural. “你住在哪里？” (Where do you live?): ask about where someone lives now. “我是...人” (I'm from...): the pattern for the answer.
How do you reply to “你是哪里人？”?
A natural reply is “我是...人” (I'm from...).
Practise it, don't just read it.
Play short games with real Chinese sentences and audio, free on the web and in the Pinglingo app.